Lightning Country
Port Cirrus
Port Cirrus
After three days of roaming around the city, trying to find even the most menial of jobs to make himself some money, Kato finally found a ship captain who would give him the time of day to listen. The man was a grisly old bearded fellow with a hard exterior, but a kind paternal demeanor. He had watched Kato from a distance for days. He could tell the boy had a strong, good spirit, and felt bad form. No kid deserved to be a beggar on the street. On his last afternoon before leaving port, Captain Yin-Soon confronted the boy, after he was ignored by another sailor.
"Ey boyo, ye look like a stout lad, how'd ye like to earn yerself some coin?" he asked.
Kato was surprised by the gruff voice behind him. He turned to see a tall strong man with a long black beard, beginning to grey near the man's mouth. He wore a long dark coat, and carried a saber in his belt. The man bit down hard on his cigar as he puffed out a few smoke rings. For a moment Kato didn't say anything, but finally stammered out a yes, and nodded vigorously.
And so he found himself, three weeks later, serving aboard Yin-Soon's ship. He had been brought on board as a bodyguard of sorts. Yin-Soon had heard the same rumours which Kato had been tracking down, and decided that the chubby boy could be helpful if they ran in to the Leaf Pirates. Unfortunately so far, he had not been of much use. Instead he had begun to learn a little about serving aboard the ship, and when the crew needed him he lent a hand with regular duties. They had made their delivery, and were on their way back to Port Cirrus already, where Kato and the rest of the crew would part ways. Yin-Soon promised he would still pay Kato, but the boy really didn't feel right about it.
As he tightened the main lines on the mast, Kato thought glumly about his ordeal. "It's probably for the best. I didn't wanna have to fight the pirates anyway... just find out what they knew bout civilians fleeing the village...guess I gotta look for more work. or get better at hunting..."
[MFT]
[WC:384]